1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ubiquitous computing that provides a computer environment using various instruments at hand instead of user-specific instruments. In particular, the present invention relates to a communication control apparatus for achieving a ubiquitous communication system in which terminals can be selected flexibly.
2. Description of Related Art
Accompanying a widespread use of mobile phones, facsimile machines and the like, the variety of communication instruments used by individuals has been increasing. Conventionally, these communication instruments have operated independently, so that the communication conditions therefor have not been changed in view of the communication performed by the other communication instruments. This is mainly because individual communication instruments are provided by different communication carriers using different communication technologies, making it difficult for these communication instruments to have the function of notifying each other of the communication conditions.
However, with the proliferation of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) in recent years, every communication has become controllable using an IP technology. Thus, it has become relatively easy to provide the above-described function.
On the other hand, studies have been conducted on so-called ubiquitous computing, in which a computer environment utilized by an individual user and various services given thereby, for example, sending and receiving e-mails, reserving and purchasing tickets of various types, are provided by instruments at hand instead of user-specific instruments.
With these technological trends as a backdrop, when attempting to apply the concept of ubiquitous computing to a communication environment and combining various communication instruments at hand so as to provide a user's communication environment (hereinafter, this is referred to as a ubiquitous communication), it is necessary to solve such problems as at which position of an actual communication system, in which timing and on which basis the communication environment should be provided.
In order to solve such problems, as shown in FIG. 11, it has conventionally been suggested to provide a terminal media management means 91 for managing terminals and media environments of plural users in an integrated manner on a communication system (see JP 9(1997)-62597 A, for example). In the terminal media management means 91, a pair of terminals that is made to carry out communication is preset according to a communication medium. On receipt of a call setting request from a user, the terminal media management means 91 specifies a pair of terminals capable of achieving the communication medium contained in the request and gives a connection instruction specifying the medium to each terminal. Based on this connection instruction, either of the terminals makes a call origination, whereby the communication is carried out between the pair of terminals. In this manner, the communication using the terminals according to the medium is achieved between groups of terminals available to users.